In many cities, motor vehicles such as cars are the predominant mode of transportation utilized by residents. In some cases, parking lots for motor vehicles are not monitored or attended, and motor vehicles come and go at the direction of their drivers. However, in other cases, parking lots are to be monitored using automated parking lot management systems.
For example, a device may be installed at the entrance of a parking lot that monitors the number of vehicles in the lot via a counter. However, such vehicle sensors have a variety of inherent drawbacks in their designs. For example, such vehicle sensors may be incapable of determining in what direction a vehicle is traveling, which can lead to an inaccurate count of vehicles in the parking lot in the case where a driver fails to utilize certain designated entrances and exits, or where a driver drives erratically back and forth through an entrance or exit (possibly to use a payment device placed at said entrance or exit).
Therefore, a vehicle sensor capable of detecting not only presence of a vehicle, but also the direction of the vehicle is desirable, as that would permit design of a parking monitoring system that addresses the above drawbacks. In addition, a vehicle sensor capable of also detecting speed of the vehicle would be desirable, as it would permit better monitoring of traffic flow within the parking lot. Therefore, it is evident that there has been a need for further developments in the area of parking systems and parking sensors.